Strange Relationships
by Soul-Stealer45
Summary: Something strange is going on in the Feudal Era. Wonder what it is? Read to find out! Rated for citrusy goodness in other chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and the gang was out relaxing by Bone Eater's Well. Inuyasha and Sango were off training in the forest and Miroku was meditating in the shade of a large tree by the well. Shippou was drawing some colorful scene with the crayons that Kagome had given him.

It had been over a week ago when Kagome said she was going home for only two days. Oddly enough, Inuyasha seemed to be handling Kagome's extreme lateness pretty well; he didn't threaten to go back to get her or even seem anxious for her to come back.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light came from the well and a big yellow bag was pushed out of its top.

"Hi guys!" said Kagome as she leapt from the well. Startled out of his deep meditation, Miroku just stared at her as an orange blur came out of nowhere and attacked Kagome, sending her flying to the ground.

"What the— Shippou?!" she exclaimed. She tried to get up but he tackled her again with a hug. "Kagome, you're back! What happened? Why did you take so long? Did you bring any candy?" The little kitsune was full of questions and was quickly spewing them out at her.

"Whoa, Shippou, let's not bombard her with questions yet," said Miroku as he casually walked over to them. "I bet Inuyasha has plenty."

"Speaking of Inuyasha," Kagome said, rising to her feet and dusting herself off. "Where is he?"

"He went to go train with Sango," replied Shippou as he dug into her bag, desperately searching for candy.

Kagome scratched her head in confusion. "That's weird. Usually, he can't wait to chew me out for being so late. Do you think Inuyasha is okay?"

"Come to think of it, he has been acting kinda strange lately," said Miroku. "He was actually calm, for once."

"Do you think we should go and tell them that I'm back?"

"No, they should be back soon. Besides, we should get dinner ready. I'm starved."

"That sounds like a good idea," answered Kagome.

"I'll go get some firewood," Miroku said, walking off into the forest.

As Kagome and Shippou were getting the food ready, Miroku meandered through the forest, thinking about how it was such a beautiful day, watching the sun set through the trees. He could not remember the last time he was able to stroll through the forest without a care in the world as he was doing now. With their last battle having been almost two weeks ago, before Kagome had left, he and the rest of the gang had had an abundance of time to chill and do as they wished. As relaxed as he was, he was not able to process the sight that was before him.

Up ahead, in a small clearing, he noticed that both Hiraikotsu and Tetsusaiga had been tossed aside. Looking around to see if his friends were in danger, Miroku soon spotted both Inuyasha and Sango not too far away. In an embrace. That involved kissing. Passionate kissing.

Shocked, he gasped and looked on with an unhinged jaw, too stunned to move. _'But, Sango…' _he thought, a little hurt, as he watched the horrifying scene before him.

Just then, they stopped and Inuyasha looked around, scanning the woods as if he heard Miroku's gasp. _'Oh no, they spotted me!'_ he thought as he dashed back through the woods, unmindful of the amount of noise he was making.

"What's wrong?" asked Sango, looking up at Inuyasha.

"I heard something," he growled, ears twitching like malfunctioning satellite dishes. "I bet it was that stupid bouzu."

"Calm down, Inuyasha," she said soothingly, rubbing his ears affectionately. "They think we're training. Besides, it's not like they know where we are anyway."

"You're right," said Inuyasha. "Maybe I am overreacting just a bit. Do you think we need more training?"

"You bet," answered Sango with a smile. They resumed their 'training'.

------

"Hmm, I wonder where Miroku went?" wondered Kagome. She and Shippou were done gathering the stuff for dinner, but they couldn't cook anything without the firewood that Miroku was supposed to be collecting. It had been over an hour since he left and they had gotten really bored.

"He probably got lost like he did yesterday," said Shippou, stretched out on a large patch of warm sun. "He went out for a bath and didn't come back for hours. We thought he was in trouble, but it turned out he just slipped on a rock and somehow knocked himself out. What a klutz."

Just then, Miroku appeared with a small pile of firewood. "Here," he said, dropping the pile into the small fire pit. He seemed a bit removed, and maybe a little pale.

"What's wrong, Miroku?" asked Kagome. "You don't look so hot."

"It's… uh, nothing. I'm just a little hungry, I guess. Lets just get dinner started."

"Did you see the others?" asked Kagome.

"I most certainly did not!" he replied quickly, and perhaps a little nervously. "I have no idea where they are or what they could be up to!"

"Yeesh. You sure he didn't lose anything when he hit his head?" Kagome muttered to Shippou.

Miroku ignored this comment and went to start the fire. _'How could she do this to me; she knew how I felt…' _Miroku thought as he struck two pieces of flint together to make sparks that died in the kindling. _'And that damned Inuyasha… Is the fool too blind to see that Kagome loves him? Why would he go after Sango?' _A couple more clicks, and a healthy blaze was born.

------

Miroku stared into the leaping flames; the sun had already set and the flames covered him in an eerie glow. _'How long has this been going on…'_ he pondered. He looked up at the sound of twigs breaking and leaves rustling to see Inuyasha and Sango emerge from the woods.

"Kagome, you're back!" said Sango. Inuyasha didn't say a word.

"Hi, guys," said Kagome cheerily. She glanced at Inuyasha, who seemed not to notice she was there. "Are you mad at me, Inuyasha?" she asked tentatively.

"No, wench," he responded. "Would you rather me yell at you for being late?"

"Well… uh, yeah… I mean it's not like you to be so… quiet," she replied.

"Yeah, well I am, wench! Do you have a problem with it?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. SIT BOY!!!" Inuyasha did an immediate faceplant. Miroku snickered at the impact.

"Well, I guess he's back to his old self," murmured Shippou.

Or was he?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Unable to sleep, Miroku got up and decided to take a late-night walk to clear his mind. Stepping out of Kaede's hut, he started down the path towards a nearby spring; the sound of flowing water has always made it easier for him to relax and think more clearly.

As he approached the spring, he saw a figure sitting on the edge of the bank. Coming closer, he recognized it was Sango. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he was afraid of what she might say. Treading closer, Miroku realized that this may be his only chance to express his feelings towards her and learn the truth about her relationship with Inuyasha.

Stepping up to her, he gathered up his courage and spoke. "Hello, Sango. What are you doing up?"

She jumped as if he startled her and turned to face him. "Oh. Hi, houshi-sama. I was having trouble sleeping. What about you?"

"Same here," stated Miroku. He sat down beside her. Uneasily, he looked down at his entangled hands and back up at Sango. "Uh… listen, Sango, we have to talk."

"What? What is it, Houshi-sama? Are you hurt?"

"No, nothing of the sort. Yeah. Well…" he started, obviously nervous about what he had to tell her. He decided to go straight to the point. "I just wanted to know how you felt about me."

Sango gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" She then smiled. "You already know that I think of you as a wayward monk with a wandering hand. But, I also think of you as a friend."

"Yes, yes, I know that," he replied. "What I mean is what do you think of me beyond that."

She just blinked at him. "Houshi-sama, I have never thought of you in that way." She looked over at Miroku in time to see a dejected expression flash across his face. Feeling regretful, she explained, "With all this fighting, and Naraku, and the loss of my family, I haven't had time for a relationship."

Miroku put on his usual smirk, but this one was devoid of its typical humor. "But you have time for Inuyasha." He lowered his eyes to slits; he hated the sound of that name.

'_Does he know?' _she thought. _'He cant know. We've been so careful.' _She decided to act stupid. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Miroku let out a dry laugh. "Sango, don't play dumb with me. I saw the two of you. In the woods _'training',_ as you both put it so nicely."

Sango froze. _'Did he actually see us? If he did, how much did he see?' _Her thoughts were racing through her head as she tried to come up with a response.

"I… I don't know what you mean," she finally choked out.

That humorless smirk never left his face. "Of course you do, Sango. I saw you and Inuyasha in the clearing yesterday. You need not lie to me." His expression changed to a more melancholy one. "Why did you go to him when you already knew how I felt about you?"

Sango got up and turned away from him, unnerved at the fact that her and Inuyasha's little secret was found out. "It just happened, Miroku. I don't know how, but it did."

Miroku stood and walked in front of her so he can face her and look into her eyes. "How long?" he requested.

Sango looked down, avoiding his eyes. "It started over two months ago. It was the night of the new moon and I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk along this spring. I spotted Inuyasha in his human form sitting on a rock along the bank. I thought that something was wrong, so I went to see if he was okay and that was when we started to talk. And talk. And pretty soon, I realized what a nice person he is and how tenderhearted he can really be.

"After that night, we slowly drifted closer and things started to get a little serious. We had already decided that it would be better for the group if we kept our relationship a secret; the last thing we wanted was for things to get awkward. I mean, it wasn't like something that was supposed to happen. It just did."

Miroku turned away, feeling betrayed. _'It's been going on that long and I didn't know anything about it?'_ He felt as if his heart was crushed. "I understand, Sango." He turned and started walking back towards the hut.

"Wait, Miroku!" called Sango. He stopped. "Just… please don't tell the others about us, especially Kagome. She is a good friend to me and I'd hate to lose her trust."

"Don't worry, Sango, my lips are sealed," he replied as he continued walking to the hut.

------

The next day, the crew was walking along a path towards the next village. Lagging back, Miroku watched as Inuyasha and Sango walked together with Kagome not to far behind, oblivious as to what was going on between the two. However, she did notice that Miroku had been oddly quiet. She slowed down and fell into step with him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. He ignored her, staring ahead as if he was deep in thought.

"Hello?" Kagome said, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" he responded.

"You seem troubled. What's wrong?"

He glared at the back of Inuyasha's head. Miroku contemplated telling Kagome Inuyasha's little secret, but he remembered that it was also Sango's secret and he promised her that he wouldn't speak a word of it. "It's nothing, Kagome. Why do you say that?"

"Well, you've been shooting death-glares at everyone since last night and you haven't said a word to either Inuyasha or Sango. So what's up?

'_This girl is too observant sometimes,' _thought Miroku. "Really Kagome, it is nothing."

Kagome looked ahead to the two walking in front of her. _'I wonder what happened between them to make Miroku act like that?'_ she thought. She watched as Inuyasha and Sango talked, occasionally breaking out into silent peals of laughter. She looked over at Miroku, who was shooting daggers of ice at them with his eyes. The look on his face was very similar to… was it jealousy? What could make him so jea—

Realization dawned on Kagome's face as she turned her gaze back to the snickering couple in front of her. _'No. It couldn't be. Could it?'_ She watched as Inuyasha chatted with Sango animatedly, feeling a twinge of jealousy herself. _'But Sango's my friend, and Inuyasha… It's just a silly thought. It can't be true." _

Or can it?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was after sunset a few days later and the squad had stopped to make camp. Shippou and Kelala were off playing together and Miroku was staring into the dying embers of a once roaring flame. As soon as the flames started to subside, Inuyasha and Sango suddenly had to go off to 'get more firewood'. It has been over an hour since they left and Miroku was obviously seething.

Kagome's revelation has been bothering her ever since it came into her mind. She wanted to confirm this silly notion of Inuyasha and Sango being together, but she couldn't find the right way or time to make such a suggestion. Should she ask them? No, that would probably end up with them denying it; besides, they were always off together. She thought of asking Miroku, since his deadly silence suggested he already knew.

Kagome sat down across from Miroku. She was unsure as to whether she should bring the topic up; he still looked pretty pissed. She decided to go ahead and ask.

"Uh, Miroku?" she said.

He looked up at her. "Yes, Kagome?"

"Do you know if Inuyasha and Sango have been seeing each other like… you know… a couple?"

"Uh… no," he lied, wondering if she had found out about them. "What would make you think that?"

"I was just wondering, with them always being gone and whatnot, and with the way you've been acting towards them."

'_Damn, she found out.' _He sighed. _'Poor thing. She deserves to know the truth about Inuyasha; she adores him. Why, I don't know.'_ "Alright, yeah. I know about them."

"How long have they been seeing each other?" she asked.

Miroku sighed again. _'I shouldn't be telling her this.'_ "Well, um…" he stalled. "They have been seeing each other for over two months now.

"What!?" Kagome exclaimed. She had no idea that this was going on right beneath her nose. She refused to believe it. _'This cant be true. Inuyasha loves me, I just know it!' _she thought, denying what she herself knew to be real.

"Are you sure this is true?"

"Yes, Kagome," Miroku said, gravely, noticing the denial on her face. "I'm positive."

"When did you find out?" she prodded, hoping that the monk had not been holding out on information this important for long.

"A few days ago, right after you came back from your time," he said. "While I was looking for firewood, I found them kissing in a clearing. I saw their weapons strewn across the ground, and automatically, I thought something was wrong. Boy, was I in for a surprise. "

"I thought they were training," murmured Kagome.

"That's what I thought too, but apparently, they weren't." he replied, still staring at the smoldering cinders.

Kagome recalled the day she came back to this era. She remembered the cold greeting Inuyasha presented her with and the way he treated her with indifference. At that time, she was thinking that she might have gotten on his bad side, but now she was certain that wasn't it. _'He doesn't want me anymore.' _She realized to herself.

"Inuyasha…" murmured Kagome, hurt beyond belief. Ever since she had the idea that he was with Sango, she was hoping that her thoughts would be proven wrong. Kagome blinked away the tears as she imagined what could have been with him. _'How could he cheat on me like that?' _she thought to herself.

Then, other visions swirled through her thoughts. Visions of Kikyo. She remembered that Inuyasha always went back to Kikyo, no matter how many times she had tried to kill him. It was then that Kagome realized that Inuyasha had never really loved her, that she was just a mere shard detector to him.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kagome looked up at Miroku, who also seemed to be thinking about this situation. This whole time, she hadn't thought of how he felt. Not too long ago, she was thinking on how close Miroku and Sango had gotten; now she knows how wrong she was.

Miroku's face was filled with so much longing that Kagome couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. He had lost some of his steam since a few days ago and he seemed a little depressed. She no longer saw him as the lying, thieving, perverted monk, but she saw him as a poor individual in need of a friend's comfort. And she happened to be a friend.

She scooted up beside him. "Miroku?"

"Hmmm?" he answered, startled from his daze.

"Are you okay?" she said, a worried tone in her voice.

He looked up at her and smiled that beautiful smile that Kagome hasn't seen for days. "Of course. Why, should something be wrong?"

"You look a little down," she answered.

"Yeah. Well, its kinda my fault," he said.

"What are you talking about?" said Kagome, puzzled.

"I never told her how I felt. Besides, I think my incessant groping drove her away."

Kagome smiled a little and nodded. She always felt uneasy when it came to talking about relationships, but somehow she felt comfortable talking to Miroku about it. "Don't feel bad, I've told Inuyasha how I felt about him plenty of times, but he still pushes me aside." She sniffed as she fought the tears that tried to fall again. _'I can't believe I ever had feelings for that asshole,'_ she thought. _'I wonder if there's something about me that guys just don't like. Yeah, sure, there's Hojo, but he's kinda weird and—'_

"Kagome, there's nothing wrong with you," said Miroku, softly. Was she thinking out loud? "You're fine just the way you are. Anyone who can't see that is a blind fool."

'_He always knows the right thing to say,'_ Kagome thought. She finally saw that Miroku had always been there for her, especially after she and Inuyasha had been in a fight. Looking at him now, she saw the same caring Miroku that she ignored while chasing that stupid hanyou around.

"Look at me, I'm trying to cheer you up and I end up talking about myself again," she said, sniffling and wiping away tears.

"It's okay, Kagome," answered Miroku kindly, enclosing her in a warm embrace. "We all need a chance to express our feelings."

Kagome looked up at him and smiled. He looked down at her with a soft expression on his face, one she couldn't name. She felt surprisingly comfortable in his arms; she could have stayed there forever. Because of that, Kagome didn't fight him when he dipped his head to kiss her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kagome melted as she felt Miroku's lips gently caress hers. Slowly, he deepened the kiss and he smiled a little when she whimpered. _'What am I doing?'_ he asked himself, pulling away. "I'm sorry, Kagome," he apologized. "I… I don't know what came over me."

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact of the slap that he knew was coming for him. Time passed and nothing came. He opened an eye and peeked at the dazed Kagome.

She gazed up at him vaguely, absentmindedly touching her fingers to her lips. _'What is she thinking about?'_ thought Miroku, opening his other eye. She moved forward and resumed the kiss that he just broke off. He stopped thinking and focused on the task at hand.

He ran his tongue across her lips and she moaned when he dipped it inside her mouth, wrestling with her own. Kagome placed her arms around his neck as his snaked around her back, one hand reaching up to entwine in her hair as the other slowly shifted downward to its inevitable destination.

Within seconds, they were sprawled on the ground. Miroku moved his mouth from Kagome's to the crook of her neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses. Kagome reached up and pulled his hair out of its usual ponytail, playing with the silky strands that ran through her fingertips. She sucked in air as he nipped at her skin, his hands roaming all over her body. She raked her nails through his hair as she felt a hand slowly slide up her thigh, steadily creeping upwards, and then—

They jumped at the sound of rustling bushes not too far away. They both stood up and Miroku reached for his staff, half expecting a demon to leap out of the bushes at them.

It turned out it was a demon, well sort of. Inuyasha emerged from the bushes with a small bundle of logs in his hands. He inspected the two in front of him. "What the hell were you two doing?" he said.

Miroku and Kagome glanced at each other. They did indeed look like a mess. Kagome's clothes were dusty and disheveled and her hair was tousled; there were red marks slowly becoming visible on her neck. Miroku didn't look much better; the dust was more prominent against his dark indigo robes and his hair was no longer in its typical little ponytail, thanks to Kagome.

After examining each other, they both turned back to Inuyasha. "Well, Inuyasha," Miroku explained as he coolly dusted himself off, trying his best to sound smooth. "We were just, uh… sitting here, merely conversing, when a, uh…—"

"A demon came out of nowhere!" finished Kagome.

"Yes!" exclaimed Miroku, relieved that she caught on to his plan. With a puzzled expression on his face, Inuyasha glanced from Miroku to Kagome, then back to Miroku. "It was a huge flying demon… with large wings… and uh, very sharp talons." Miroku glanced upwards and saw a bird soaring up high. "Come to think of it, it resembled a falcon. Do you know if there are any falcons in this region? Because in my travels, I have come across many different species of birds and—"

"Get to the point, monk," growled Inuyasha, aware that Miroku was trying to change the subject.

"Ah yes, the demon," he resumed, stalling. "Well, upon arrival, it demanded the jewel shards. When we resisted, it dove at us several times. It was hard work dodging it; we had to duck for cover every time it came down. I deflected several hits, but when Kagome got a hold of her bow and arrows and shot a couple at it, it fled. I guess it wasn't that dangerous, huh?"

"A 'falcon demon', eh?" said Inuyasha skeptically. "Why is it that I don't smell any demon, much less a 'falcon demon'?"

"I-it happened so quickly," Kagome said, obviously reaching for an explanation. "It just swooped down from out of nowhere a couple of times, and then it was gone." She flashed a cheesy smile.

Miroku gave a weak chuckle and nervously scratched at the back of his neck. Kagome pawed the dirt with her foot and seemed to be extremely fascinated by the pattern on her shoe.

Inuyasha stared at them, knowing that they were up to something, but he had no idea what. He knew that if the monk tried anything with Kagome, either there would be a red handprint on his face or she would have said something about it instead of trying to help him explain.

Their behavior may have been odd, but since he couldn't put his finger on it, Inuyasha decided to ignore it and he started to fuel the dying embers. As he carefully placed the kindling on the embers, they slowly came alive and soon became little flames licking at the logs.

"So, what happened to Sango?" Miroku asked indifferently. Inuyasha dropped a log.

"She's… I don't know where she is. We split up awhile ago," he replied quickly, resuming his task.

"Someone should go after her," said Kagome. "It's getting really dark."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "She probably got lost. Why, these woods here are so monotonous, I'm surprised that even Inuyasha found his way back."

"I'll get her," Inuyasha said, a bit annoyed at Miroku's comment. "I can find her and be back in no time; all I have to do is follow my nose." And with that, he was off. They watched as Inuyasha bounded through the trees.

"Whew. That was close," said Kagome.

"Indeed," replied Miroku. They looked at each other. "So…"

"What are we going to do now?" asked Kagome.

"Well…" Miroku murmured with a glint in his indigo eyes. "We could always pick up where we left off…" he trailed suggestively.

Kagome thought about what happened not ten minutes earlier. She remembered how good he made her feel and thought she deserved to feel good after the way Inuyasha treated her. "Why not?" she replied.

"Well then, lets get started," Miroku said as he stepped forward and kissed her in the dancing firelight.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry it took so long; writers block can be terrible. I think there's a case of it going around cough. Anyhoo, thanx for the reviews and enjoy!!!

Chapter 5

The group was out on the road, Inuyasha, Sango, and Kelala walking ahead with Miroku, Kagome, and Shippou trailing not far behind.

Miroku began to feel guilty about how he had treated Kagome two nights ago. He was sorry for taking advantage of her feelings, even if it was simple making out. He looked over at her walking alongside him, conversing with the eagerly chatting kitsune on her shoulder.

He thought of their first kiss, how spontaneous it had been. He wondered what it was that made him do it in the first place. Maybe it was the sight of a friend being hurt by the one she loved, maybe it was his own feelings of rejection by the one that he so desired, maybe it was a mixture of the two.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw that Kagome was looking at him, dreamy expression on her face. As her eyes caught his, she blushed and turned away.

He smiled a little, thinking about the way she was acting that morning. She seemed absolutely bubbly and every time their eyes met, she would blush and avoid his. He had to know how she felt about him, but he couldn't, not with the little kit on her shoulder. He decided that he had to dispose of Shippou if he was to talk to her one-on-one.

"Oh, Shippou…" Miroku called.

"What's up, Miroku?" he answered.

"I have a secret to tell you…"

Shippou jumped onto Miroku's shoulder. "What is it?"

"Shhh… keep it down," Miroku whispered. "Inuyasha said he has some candy for you."

"He does?!" asked Shippou excitedly. Then a confused expression crossed his face. "Why would he want to give me any candy?" he said quietly.

"I don't know," replied Miroku. "I guess you have to go find out."

Shippou looked up at Inuyasha. "I don't see any candy."

"That's because he's hiding it in his haori."

"Why would he be hiding it if it was for me?" Shippou asked.

"He's protecting it for you," Miroku said, reaching for an explanation. "There are other little demons around here who would also love to have some candy."

Shippou looked at Miroku for a moment, trying to see if it was a trick. Seeing no hint of humor on the monk's face, he jumped from Kagome's shoulder and bounded towards Inuyasha, eager to get some candy.

Kagome looked at Miroku, trying to figure to what he was up to. "What did you tell him?" she asked.

"Nothing." he quickly replied. "I want to talk to you. About _that_ night."

"Oh," Kagome said. Miroku slowed down a little to add more distance between himself and the rest of the group. Unconsciously, Kagome did the same.

"I'm sorry about what happened that night. I was totally out of line and I should have handled myself better, but I—"

"I understand, Miroku," Kagome cut in, looking downcast. "You were just feeling down and rejected, that's why you came to me."

Miroku looked at her like she was stupid. "Kagome, what would make you think something like that?"

"Well, you never noticed me before, and all of a sudden, when Sango's out of the picture, you come to me like I'm second best."

"Kagome, I assure you, it's not like that," said Miroku. "Remember we first met?"

"You mean when you kidnapped me?" Kagome inquired.

He chuckled. "'Kidnapped' is such a bad word, but yes." He glanced ahead at the sound of raised voices, obviously Shippou and Inuyasha were quarrelling over his little fib.

"Well, what about it?" asked Kagome.

"When I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, so naturally, I wanted you."

"I thought you said you wanted the jewel shards?" Kagome asked, blushing at Miroku's words.

"I did. But, I could have gotten them without taking you. Besides, I had to come up with a good reason for kidnapping you; I don't think I would have liked being filleted alive by Inuyasha very much."

"Ah," Kagome nodded. "But what about Sango?"

Miroku sighed. "I really did have feelings for her," he said, glancing forward once again at the arguing group ahead; by this time, even Sango and Kelala joined in. "But after getting your heart stomped on time and time again by the one you supposedly love, it gets harder to keep loving them."

Kagome nodded. She could relate to that last statement; Inuyasha had crushed her heart on numerous occasions to the point where she feels nothing for him now. She hasn't even felt a twinge of jealousy whenever she saw him with Sango.

She peered up at Miroku, who seemed to be utterly fascinated by what was going on in front of them. Ever since the 'incident' that took place a few nights ago, Kagome couldn't stop thinking about him; it was as if she was seeing him for the first time. In the two days since they had become intimate, Kagome noticed new things that she had never noticed before. Like how his eyes held all of his emotions, or the way he always chuckled lightly at her jokes, no matter how stupid they or corny they were. _'Wait. That means he must feel something for me too.'_ She pondered. She had to find out if this was true. "Miroku?" she asked.

"Hmmm?" he answered, still looking ahead. Inuyasha was now dancing around oddly while Sango was holding Kelala and laughing at him. Shippou was nowhere to be found.

"Um, how exactly do you feel about me?"

He turned to face her. "I, uh… don't know," he replied, not willing to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

Kagome looked at him and found the answer in his eyes. "You like me, don't you?" she asked.

"I, uh… well, um…" he stammered. "Okay, I do."

"Well I, um… kinda like you too," she said, averting her eyes and blushing.

After a long pause, Kagome asked, "Do you think there could be something between us?"

"I don't know," Miroku gently grasped her hand. "But, we could find out together."

They gazed into each other's eyes, coming to a silent agreement as they both smiled, Kagome blushing a little.

"Miroku! I'm gonna kill you!!!" Inuyasha shouted, charging towards the monk.

"Uh oh," Miroku said, and with that, promptly disappeared back down the path with Inuyasha not too far behind.

"Why did you tell that stupid brat that I had candy in my clothes?! I feel so violated!!!"

Kagome smiled. "That baka monk…"


End file.
